2011 SPAC Abstracts/Bios/Presentations
The 2011 SPAC featured the following great speakers:
Mise En Place ("everything in place") for Capture: Introducing to the Conscientious Proposal Professional a General Framework for Capture and a Playbook for Capture Management (pdf)
Geren Williams
Abstract: The most successful proposal professionals understand the particulars of capture management. This comprehension allows them to fashion most effectively solutions and proposals that focus on solving a client's most critical needs—his absolute musts. This presentation introduces a crisp framework and a step-by-step approach to conducting winning capture. It is a primer for staffers who conduct capture periodically and an introduction for the novice faced with having to lead or participate in a capture effort.
Bio: Geren Williams is a VP of Capture Management for CACI, Inc. He is responsible for the successful pursuit of new and re-compete business and functions as Capture Manager for large (in excess of $100M), strategic, and high value opportunities. Prior to CACI, Geren was a senior leader in Booz Allen Hamilton's Critical Strategic Initiatives (CSI) team. CSI brought together the firm's most experienced competitive strategists and proposal experts to focus on the largest, most complicated, and most strategic procurements. Geren is a member of APMP and SCIP and is certified in Competitive Intelligence by the Academy of Competitive Intelligence (ACI).
Chez Proposal: Designing and Developing Your Proposal Restaurant (pdf)
BJ Lownie, PPF.APMP
Abstract: Whether you're running a sandwich shop, a gourmet restaurant, or a banquet hall, to serve a quality product and deliver exceptional service, many factors need to be considered and the key elements need to be in place. These include determining the cuisine you'll offer, determining your staffing requirements, considering what equipment you'll need, the steps you'll follow, getting feedback from your customers and much more. There are many parallels between restaurants and proposals, from planning your menu and sharpening your knives to selecting raw ingredients and knowing how to cook up a five-star feast.
In this session, a master "Proposal Chef", with more than 25 years designing, developing, and working in proposal kitchens, will provide insights into designing the proposal kitchen you need and understand the resources you need to have in place to deliver a great meal and satisfy your customers every time.
Bio: BJ Lownie, PPF.APMP, is the Founder and Principal Director of Strategic Proposals LLC. He is a founding member of the APMP, is an APMP-accredited "Professional," and is an elected APMP Fellow. Along with Jon Williams. BJ is the co-author of the popular proposal blog "The Proposal Guys". He is a recognized thought leader in the proposal profession and has 25+ years experience within the proposal arena. He has worked on hundreds of proposals and had more than 7,500 participants attend his workshops, seminars and presentations. He is a popular presenter at APMP and industry conferences, and his sessions are always enlightening, engaging, and highly entertaining.
BJ is truly, as it says on his business card and website, "Passionate about Proposals".
Recipes for High Performing Proposal Organizations (pdf)
Bob Lohfeld
Abstract: High Performing Proposal Organizations consistently deliver win rates above 65%, but this requires more than just good proposal managers and writers. It takes sound business development, capture, and proposal processes; an efficient proposal development infrastructure; and a team of skilled capture and proposal professionals to do the work This presentation describes how high performing proposal organizations are created and how they work, the kinds of processes they use, and the types of infrastructure they depend upon to efficiently create winning proposals. The presentation also describes how you can assess your proposal organization and build a roadmap to create your own High Performing Proposal Organization.
Bio: Bob Lohfeld has more than 30 years' experience winning contracts in the government market. He is consistently recognized for leadership in business development, capture management, and creating winning proposals. He is the founder of Lohfeld Consulting Group, a leading Capture and Proposal Consulting firm specializing in government market procurements, and he writes the Capture Management column in Washington Technology magazine.
Prior to forming Lohfeld Consulting Group, Bob served as Division President at Lockheed Martin, Vice President of Lockheed Martin Information Technology, Senior Vice President at OAO Corporation, Systems Engineering Manager at Computer Sciences Corp. (CSC), and Program Manager at Fairchild Industries.
Bob served as Program Chairperson and member of the Board of Directors for the APMP National Capital Area Chapter (APMP-NCA), Chairman of the American Council on Technology Industry Advisory Council (ACT/IAC), Vice Chairman of the Technology Council of Maryland (TCM), and Board Member of the Armed Forces Communications and Electronics Association (AFCEA), Government Electronics and Information Association (GEIA), and the Juvenile Diabetes Research Foundation (JDRF Capital Region). He is a three-time winner of Federal Computer Week's Federal 100 Award and a former Fed100 Judge.
Fat Free Proposal Writing — Tips for a Winning Recipe (pdf)
Betsy Blakney, PPF.APMP
Abstract: Like following a recipe in a cookbook or one that has been handed down from generation to generation, proposal professionals follow proven processes when responding to RFPs. It's been said that "Cooking is Art. Baking is Chemistry; where the ingredients and quantities matter. The challenge to responding to an RFP is balancing art and science."(P. Stromdahl, 2009)
Put on your chef's hat and walk away with tips for battling writer's block, an editorial eye for word choice to tighten language, words and phrases to avoid, and proper and alternative words (substitute ingredients) without ruining the recipe (winning strategy).
Bio: Betsy Blakney, PPF.APMP, is an APMP Fellow, Accreditation Mentor and APMP's CEO. A former APMP COO, Board Secretary, and Regional Director, she served as the 2010 International Conference Co-chair and on the APMP Journal staff since 2008. She was elected the APMP-NCA President in 2003 and served as the Secretary/Treasurer from 2001-2002. She has also presented at the 2011 and 2010 International Conferences and at APMP-NCA's 2008 Professional Day. Betsy has 15 years of experience managing, writing, and producing winning proposals. She currently is a Senior Proposal Manager for CACI, Inc. - Federal and is an avid cookbook collector.
AppMaven's Secret Spices: Tools & Apps that deliver on a shoestring budget (PowerPoint)
Beth Wingate, AF.APMP
Abstract: Executive proposal chefs combine many special ingredients to develop winning proposals. Leverage AppMaven's secret spices—time and effort-reducing PC tools, iPad apps, and tricks—to prepare your proposals more efficiently and effectively. This real-time demo builds on Beth's 2010 APMP presentations with more cost-effective PC and iPad tools, apps, and reliable tips—and advice on using them to increase your winning proposal capabilities. Many tools are inexpensive/free and useful for one-person short-order cooks to institutional proposal kitchens—commercial and government. Lots of real-time Q&A to answer your burning app questions. Savor Beth's checklist of software you can use every day to reduce the time it takes to do your job. Refine your proposal capabilities using these tools and use them to whip up proposal magic!
Bio: Beth Wingate, AF.APMP, aka AppMaven, APMP Fellow and member since 1996, is APMP's 2010-2011 Director of Education. Beth was 2008-2009 APMP-NCA President and was selected as APMP's 2008 Chapter Chair of the Year. Currently a Managing Director at Lohfeld Consulting Group, Beth has 24 years' experience managing, writing, illustrating, and producing winning proposals. She managed proposal development (pre-RFP—post-submission) for MSD and Lockheed Martin. She managed a proposal center and trained/mentored proposal and BD staff in industry best practices. Beth presented at APMP's 2008, 2009, 2010, 2011 International Conferences; APMP-NCA's 2008 Proposal Basics Boot Camp; and the 2010 APMP-NCA Annual Conference, 2010 APMP Pacific Northwest Fall Symposium, 2010 APMP Nor'easters Fall Symposium, and the 2010 APMP SPAC. Beth wrote and teaches proposal development classes through Lohfeld Consulting Group and FedSources. She regularly writes for APMP's Journal and Perspective.
Sweet and Sour Graphics: Recipe for Success! (pdf)
Mike Parkinson, AF.APMP and Colleen Jolly, PPF.APMP
Abstract: Do you have good taste in graphics? Prove it. Look at good and bad real-world proposal graphics and learn what leaves a bad taste in your mouth and why. Discover the succulent secrets of successful graphics and the low-cost tools to make them. Learn how to update your own visuals to send the right message. See the latest best practices in information design and how they best apply to bids and proposals. Using what you learn, play Recipe for Success and prepare and present your own graphic for a surprize.
Bio: Mike Parkinson, PPF.APMP and Colleen Jolly, PPF.APMP, are Principals at 24 Hour Company—a global professional proposal graphic and production company. They have won thousands of proposals for their clients with a combined 22+ years of experience. Both are frequent worldwide speakers and trainers, attending and presenting at many APMP events. Both have been frequently published in APMP publications including the NCA newsletter, Perspective, and the APMP Journal. Mike has also written the only book on information graphic conceptualization, "Billion Dollar Graphics." Colleen is in charge of the APMP Journal layout and cover design, is Secretary of both the International APMP and NCA Chapter, and runs 24 Hour Company's UK expansion. Both enjoy long walks on the beach, but not together.
Capture, Like Cooking, Requires Constant Attention, Assessment, Adjustment: The Business Capture Report Card (pdf)
R. Mike Summers
Abstract: Great chefs have proven recipes for award-winning meals. Great companies have a structured process for winning new business. Watch a great chef prepare a meal and you will notice frequent checking—several dishes evolving at once. Issues are easily corrected; more spice, more cooking, even changing the dish to fit the ingredients available.
Watch companies go through their business capture process and you may find that they don't check status in a timely/objective manner... yielding a proposal that won't win the award. The Capture Report Card offers a framework for objective and timely assessment of your business capture activity.
Bio: R. Mike Summers joined Organizational Communications Inc. (OCI) in September 2010 as VP of Sales, Southeast Region to head up a new office in Orlando, Florida. Prior to joining OCI, he was Senior Proposal Manager with SAIC for more than 3 years and spent 27 years with Lockheed Martin, the last 8 as Manager of Proposal Operations in Orlando. He has served in leadership positions in new business capture for the past 16 years with a specialty in proposal management and business capture processes. Prior to pursuing proposal management as a career, Mike served in a variety of technical and management positions in the area of large-scale computer center management.
Add a Heaping Tablespoon of Red and Level Tablespoon of Gold (pdf)
Karen H. Hyman, APM.APMP
Abstract: Are you getting the most out of your Red and Gold team reviews? This presentation focuses on how to have more effective Red and Gold team reviews. We will discuss three specific challenges—vulnerabilities, past performance, and ghosting—of most offerings and the ingredients within a review that will result in a winning recipe. Attendees will take away an understanding of Red and Gold team reviews, best practices, and examples from large federal-civilian procurements.
Bio: Karen H. Hyman, APM.APMP, has more than 15 years experience in the Business Development lifecycle, identifying business opportunities, establishing strategies for pending procurements, and crafting winning solutions, boasting multiple national contract wins exceeding $200M each. Her focus is the federal civilian space. She holds certifications as an APMP Practitioner, Heath Insurance Associate, Managed Healthcare Professional, Call Center Manager, and CRM Program Manager; and is a Charter 100 member of the Society of Business Development Professionals. Karen has presented at the APMP International Conference as well as regional conferences, always focused on sharing the lessons learned and best practices her teams have gleaned over the years.
Why a Recipe is Better Than a Template (pdf)
Carl Dickson
Abstract: Templates do more harm than good. Yet people crave them. So what do you do when people are complaining that they have to start from scratch writing something that "must have already been written" before? It helps to recognize that this is really just a cry for help:"Help me do the proposal faster" or "Help me figure out what to write." There are better ways to speed things up and inspire proposal writers. Find out why a recipe can provide more help than a template (and is easier to maintain, too!).
Bio: As the founder of CapturePlanning.com, Carl Dickson has written thousands of pages on business development and proposal writing. His articles and tutorials have be read by millions of people. Over 66,000 people subscribe to his weekly newsletter. He is also the lead developer of the CapturePlanning.com MustWin Process. Carl has helped companies win proposals for more than 20 years. He is a past President of the APMP National Capital Area Chapter, developer of proposal software, and consultant, as well as a frequent public speaker, having participated in dozens of speaking engagements.
The Low-Fat Recipe of the Commercial Chef (pdf)
Robin Davis, AM.APMP
Abstract: Is your role in the overall sales process limited to just responding to RFPs? Are your typical proposal deadlines 1-3 weeks? Does your recipe (process) have only 10 ingredients instead of 96? Do you seek camaraderie with chefs (proposal professionals) who read from the same cookbook? Then we want you to join us.
In 2010, a team of proposal professionals from the healthcare industry joined forces to create the Healthcare Industry Task Force with the goal of improving the relevancy of APMP to members outside of the Federal government procurement process. The group mapped out its common experiences, identified best practices, and defined a common proposal process that fits the way in which we do business. In this session, I will share our findings with you. We also suspect that our low-fat, no-frills recipe is not unique to the healthcare industry. Therefore, regardless of your industry, if you can relate to the description in the first paragraph, we invite you to join us.
Bio: Robin Davis, AM.APMP, is a proposal and sales operations consultant with more than 20 years' experience in sales. For more than 11 years, she has focused on proposal development and leadership specializing in process design and implementation, strategy development, and proposal project leadership. She has successfully led more than 730 proposal projects resulting in more than $600M in revenue. Robin is an APMP Fellow, leads the APMP's Healthcare Industry Task Force, and is a frequent speaker at APMP international and SPAC conferences.
Proposal Content: Ingredients to Make or Break Your Meal (pdf)
Olessia Smotrova-Taylor
Abstract: Good proposal content is like having the right amounts of fresh ingredients combined into a perfect concoction your customer is sure to love. But unlike a chef, a proposal manager cannot fetch good content at a farmer's market. After mastering proposal process, many still suffer from low win rates. A great proposal manager has to drive proposal content to ensure a winning proposal quality. But how to become an expert in a new subject in a matter of days? How to coax the best content out of your proposal team in the shortest possible period? How to tell good content from poor content (or spot stale proposal leftovers)? This session will explore all these subjects and more. You will never have to relegate yourself to a mere administrative task of running the process, while praying your subject matter experts take care of the content.
Bio: Olessia Smotrova-Taylor is president and CEO of OST Global Solutions, a Maryland company specialized in business development, capture, and proposal consulting and training. She is a recognized thought leader in the global business development community. She is on the Board of Directors of the APMP NCA chapter. She regularly presents at the APMP's international and other conferences, roundtables, and proposal boot camps. She also teaches a graduate course in proposal development at the Stevens Institute of Technology. She led winning bids for four out of five top government contractors and numerous mid-size and small businesses, winning more than $17 billion. Prior to OST, she worked at Raytheon, Lockheed Martin, and the Financial Times of London.
Adding the "Awesomesauce" of Social Media for Competitive Advantage
Jenny Schmitt
Abstract: You've heard all about it. Now learn just what social media is all about. In this highly interactive and informative session, you'll learn to easily define social media and discover the details on its most promising channels for proposal managers—LinkedIn, Twitter, YouTube, Flickr, and Google+. In a quick-paced format, you'll gain a more complete understanding of social media along with top tips from proposal managers that use these channels well. Be ready to find and harness the competitive advantages of social media to build a winning proposal.
Bio: Jenny Schmitt is the founder of CloudSpark, an award-winning strategic communications and social media company. The microagency specializes in helping new and emerging companies answers the key questions of "What now?" and "What next?" With experience, expertise, inspiration—and a spark or two—the company provides answers that help business stand out and achieve results. Jenny is a veteran public relations and marketing professional and a sought-after speaker who presents on communications and social media issues nationally. A frequent media contributor, she has been quoted in USA Today, The Wall Street Journal, BrandWeek, and Nielsen's Small Business among others; she regularly contributes to blogs relating to social media, marketing and public relations. Jenny earned her M.S. from The George Washington University School of Medicine and her B.B.A. from The George Washington University. You can reach her on Twitter @cloudspark or learn more about her award-winning communications company at www.cloudspark.com.
The work of Jenny and her team of Sparks was recognized nationally as one of the top 10 "Agencies who get social media" in a research report published by ZDNet. The 2009 report entitled "Is 'social PR' for real? Which agencies get it?" summarizes responses to public relations and social media effectiveness surveys sent to C-level executives and marketing decision-makers to determine which public relations agencies are most effective at using social media for their customers.